You know I earned my Th.M. under the mentoring of William Lane Craig, with whom half of my credit hours were under his teaching in the Philosophy of Religion. Here's the rest of the story. My other mentor prior to my time with Dr. Craig was Dr. James Strauss (follow the link), with whom I took the maximum number of credit hours in two Master's programs under his teaching. Strauss was the one responsible for my passion for apologetics and the philosophy of religion, and it is his method of apologetics I use in reverse when debunking Christianity, as I said in my book. Students of his were called Straussites, because we imitated him, quoted him as the authority, adopted his attitudes, and argued the way he did. He lit me up like a firecracker. He is a one of a kind guy, knowledgeable in a host of subjects. I remember having different lecturers come to speak at our seminary who then sat in his classes and said they were amazed at his breadth of knowledge. In the picture above he is with Dr. Craig at my graduation from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), June 14, 1985.

Here is what Dr. Craig said a few years after I graduated from TEDS:

In my former capacity as a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I enjoyed the privilege of having graduates of Lincoln Christian College in my classes. I was amazed as one after another distinguished himself as among my brightest and most capable students. What was it about this little Christian school in midstate Illinois, I thought, that it should be such an academic powerhouse generating good philosophers? The answer was always the same: Dr. Strauss! [This quote is found on the back cover of Taking Every Thought Captive: Essays in Honor of James D. Strauss, ed. Richard A. Knopp and John D. Castelein (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1997).

As far as I know, while Craig had taught several students who previously studied under Strauss, I was the only one of them who majored under Craig. I'm indebted to both of them and consider them both my friends. They provided me with the intellectual tools for what I do today.